Venus Retrograde March 6 – April 17, ’09

On Friday, March 6th Venus goes retrograde (appears to move backwards through the heavens) for about six weeks. Venus rules love, money, creativity, relationships, values (what you value and how you value yourself), aesthetics, your personal style, and what makes life worth living.

During a retrograde you are asked to do the “re” activities – review, revise, revisit, remodel, regroup, redo, and stick with things already in process. The main areas of attention with Venus are love, relationships and money, although revamping your personal style can create some issues if you make significant changes/investments and then change your mind when Venus goes direct! No matter how passionate you feel in the moment during Venus retrograde, if you make a choice that is out of character for you it may only be temporary.

Venus is in the sign of Aries for most of this retrograde which is a dynamic, assertive, driven, go-getter energy that is also very passionate and sexual. This is not the sign that likes to contemplate choices and take it’s time. We’re talking direct – the shortest distance from point A to point B, so you may be extra challenged to curb your impulses. Venus in Aries likes to pursue what they want and they LOVE the chase! Once they reach their goal they’re not always so interested, so be mindful when deciding to act on impulse.

Venus rules money. On a practical level, you may experience delays in receiving payments or resources and this is generally not a good time to make investments or launch a business as you may over- or under-estimate the value of the service or product you’re buying or selling. Financial activities that are low-risk are fine, but major spending is ill-advised during this time (again, you may over-value the product or your need for it). It is a good time for buying second-hand, especially if you are the type that knows the value of something that the seller may have under-valued. Then you can get a great deal!

Revising your approach to financial matters is in alignment with this retrograde. What needs revision or healing regarding your beliefs about money, receiving, and what you are worth? You may need to upgrade your business systems, i.e., the way you deal with the money you have. What is your money blueprint – do you know how much you can allow yourself to receive? What does money represent to you? What do you value? This is SO worth investigating if you’ve never thought about it. Oh and by the way, fear of economic insecurity has nothing to do with how much money you have!

In retrograde, Venus can motivate you to indulge in luxury spending that you really can’t afford or choose furniture/clothing/a new hairdo/a trip that you’re not interested in at all once Venus goes direct – and by then you can’t return it or get out of the contract and you are stuck with it. If you’re going to make changes let them be baby steps and for heaven’s sake, don’t redecorate your home or get a tattoo!! If you must indulge yourself during this time, think low-risk and temporary.

Venus retrograde is the perfect time to deal with relationship issues (that are likely to come up) which is really an outpicturing of how you feel about yourself. You only call in those who are in agreement with some part of you (conscious or unconscious). Whatever isn’t working for you needs to change and this is a wonderful time to gain awareness of what’s out of alignment and to focus on healing/shifting that.

Remember, others will value you to the degree that you value yourself, and your boundaries are indicators of what you will and won’t accept. You may finally be ready to love yourself enough to put your foot down and stop tolerating behaviors and relationship dynamics that aren’t good for you. If so, hooray for you (both)!! You don’t have to continue to do the dance – when one person changes, the dynamic between you changes, so know that you have more power than you may realize!

During Venus retrograde you may find yourself attracted to a dramatically different type of “other” than you would typically go for, and if you’re in a relationship you may feel restless and discontent. The guidance is not to make any major moves during the retrograde – don’t break up or get engaged/married because when Venus goes direct you may change your mind (or come back to your senses). It can be like waking up from a dream and saying to yourself, “What was I thinking?!!”

If you begin a new relationship during Venus retrograde it is common not to see your new love interest clearly, missing red flags that you would ordinarily notice. If you are in a long-term relationship and suddenly feel restless or discontent, use this time to find out what is really out of alignment for you that makes you seek greener pastures. What needs of yours aren’t being met?

Old loves and lovers from the past may suddenly pop up, seemingly out of nowhere, during Venus retrograde. If you’re both available it can be fun to reconnect or you may even have a fling, but eventually you will likely remember why you separated in the first place when Venus goes direct! In any event, stay tuned to see if anyone from your past appears in the next six weeks.

This is a good time to review all of your relationships and your relationship dynamics to see if there are issues that need attention or conversations you need to have. Do you need to make amends to anyone or are there friends or loved ones you’ve been out of touch with? This is a perfect time to “re”connect!

This is a wonderful energy for artists who have creative projects in process that need to be finished. You may be inspired with fresh ideas and approaches that open up new levels of self-expression via your art. You may want to redo an old piece, breathing new life into it! And for you artists who don’t do creativity for a living, PLEASE give yourself a gift and make your art – it’s like oxygen for you and in my humble opinion, it’s not optional!

I hope that you realize just how valuable you are – that would be the most beneficial outcome of Venus Retrograde. The more you recognize your own value the better you will be, which benefits us all!